Many photocopiers, printers, and other reproduction and printing devices now include non-volatile memory (NVM), such as magnetic and optical storage media and including removable disk systems, hard drives, and other storage media systems allowing the device and/or a user to store a job the device uses or is directed to use the stored job. In high security areas (e.g., military installations), there is often a requirement that all jobs that stored on NVM of a device shall be inaccessible once the job is completed. Additionally, users in lower security area often wish to erase data they would like to keep private or confidential for various reasons.
Lately, secure erase systems that overwrite the data with patterns of 1s, 0s, or random combinations thereof have come into use to meet erasure requirements. However, government agencies and other customers have different requirements as to how many times one can overwrite the appropriate portions of NVM once a job or task is completed, which can lead to difficulties in product design and implementation.
Embodiments of the invention allow a user or a system administrator (SA) to program a device to overwrite the region of NVM in which the data file associated with a print, scan, fax, copy, or other job resides. In embodiments, the data file is overwritten more than once, such as from 2 to about 50 times, with the exact number of overwrites being determined according to a stored default value or a user-input value. Further, in embodiments, the data file can be overwritten with a different pattern on each overwrite according to a stored default value or a user-input value. For example, if a user has just printed something stored on a floppy disk, the user can erase it securely with a sequence of patterns of choice. Instead of trying to settle on a single algorithm (e.g., overwrite 3 times, first time with 1s, the second time with 0s, the third time with a random pattern), this allows overwriting “n” times with a set of patterns that can be downloaded to the device.
Embodiments activate an erase trigger automatically, which places the digital copier or printer into, for example, an Image Disk Erasing Routine, where an Image Disk is a storage media used by the device to store data files including scanned images of documents and/or print job data and the like. An example of such an Erasing Routine is a routine that executes three complete erasures with a check to ensure the data is completely erased; per industry or security approved processes. The Erasing Routine removes or destroys any residual data files including documents, images, and the like, on the Image or ESS Disks. In embodiments, a customer selectable UI/client button with confirmation that the process was completed could activate this routine. During this erasing feature, the system would be offline.
Thus, embodiments provide a storage medium security erase system comprising an erase trigger that tells a drive sector analyzer to retrieve data file location information from a CPU and send the location information to a secure storage medium eraser that overwrites the data file according to a predetermined secure erase method, the eraser using a type of overwrite pattern and a number of overwrites determined by an erase pattern determiner according to predetermined criteria and/or user input.
An additional feature is to apply a method of securely erasing a data file by a providing an erase trigger, determining a location of the data file on the storage medium, overwriting the data file according to a predetermined secure erase method, and determining at least a number of times to overwrite the data file in response to the erase trigger and according to predetermined criteria.
However, it is possible that secure erasure can fail. In such instances, security-conscious users will want to know that failure has occurred. Embodiments provide for such notification and allow implementation of such notification on a UI of a marking device on which failure has occurred, and/or on a personal computer connected to the marking device, such as via a network.